


The Nye Generation

by toastweasel



Category: Ghostbusters (2016)
Genre: Gen, pre relationships, some flirting u know how it is
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-11
Updated: 2016-08-11
Packaged: 2018-08-08 03:28:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7741669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/toastweasel/pseuds/toastweasel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“…Did you just quote Mythbusters at me?”<br/>“Better, I quoted Adam Savage at you.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Nye Generation

**Author's Note:**

> Some fluffy pre-relationship Holtzbert interaction that stuck me on the train in to work this morning. Enjoy.

Erin walked into the lab one afternoon to find Holtzmann scribbling in a leather bound notebook. This surprised her; not because she did not think Holtzmann could write, she did have a Ph.D after all, but because she rarely saw Holtz use a pen for anything besides a pointer. The engineer did not greet her when she entered, despite the fact that her music was barely a murmur, so Erin’s footsteps would have been audible coming up the stairs. Holtz must be too wrapped up in whatever she was writing to notice Erin’s presence.

Erin squeezed behind the engineer to get to her own notebook from the work table behind her. She had left it there yesterday accidentally after she and Holtz had been working collaboratively on some calculations for the proton shotgun. Not wanting to disturb Holtzmann too greatly, in case what she was writing was important, she gave a cautious, “Hey.”

“Hey,” Holtz replied distantly, not looking up from her notebook.

Holtz loved to talk, especially with Erin, so whatever it was she was writing was probably important if she did not stop and chat. When Erin got her notebook she turned and took a peak at Holtz’s notebook over her shoulder. Holtz had scribbled a diagram of one the proton packs at the top of the page, the key parts labeled carefully in red ink. She was writing something in neat cursive below the diagram. The physicist was surprised at that—the neatest cursive she had ever seen was coming from the hand of _Jillian_ _Holtzmann_ of all people.

“Taking a break?” Erin asked, pulling away to a respective distance.

“Nah,” Holtz replied, straightening and setting her pen down. “Just taking some notes on the test results from the pack adjustments.”

Erin raised an eyebrow. “I thought your scientific method was just throwing things together and hoping for the best.”

Holtzmann slapped a hand to her chest in mock offense and affected her most muckity-muck of accents. “Dr. Gilbert! I resent your implications!”

“Don’t play the wounded southern belle with me,” the physicist scolded, although her tone was a fond. She slapped Holtzmann’s arm playfully with her notebook as she moved around the table. “I’ve never seen you write down experiment results.”

“You just haven’t been watching close enough,” Holtz replied, kicking her feet up on the work table with a wink. Erin glared at her. “I’m kidding, I write when it’s quiet. You're usually asleep.”

Erin filed away the information but decided to keep up what was, for her, careful banter. “ I just didn’t peg you for the type, that's all.”

“What kind of scientist would I be if I didn’t? Everyone knows the only difference between screwing around and science is writing it down.”

The physicist stared. “…Did you just quote Mythbusters at me?”

“Better, I quoted Adam Savage at you.” Erin rolled her eyes. “Hey, don’t diss. They do important work that gets the public interested in science.”

“I know, I know.” She paused, but realized their conversation had reached a natural lull. She decided to make her retreat. “Well, have fun.” Erin headed for the stairs, then stopped at the top of them and turned back to face Holtzmann. “Is that how you got into science? Mythbusters?”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” she scoffed. “I am a proud product of Bill Nye the Science Guy.”

Erin rolled her eyes for the second time in two minutes; Holtz was a genius, but an exasperating genius. “I’m going to go downstairs. “Good _bye_ , Holtzmann.”

The engineer winked and blew her a kiss as she descended. “Until next time, Gilbert!”


End file.
